New community organisation, RiverTracks, keeping Northern Rivers kids away from crime
Faced with a growing youth crime trend across the region, one resident has come up with a creative and inspiring solution. But he’s facing a major hurdle.
Tweed Heads
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A new community organisation designed to help curb the increase in crime and support young people across the Northern Rivers is facing a significant funding battle.
RiverTracks was founded by Tweed resident and youth worker Ahri Tallon to foster a “safe, supportive and inclusive community with young people that provides belonging, life skills and work pathways”.
Mr Tallon modelled the program on the BackTrack program which boasts an 87 per cent success rate of participants gaining either full-time employment, training or education.
According to the RiverTracks plan, the program hopes to deter youth from crime through activities such as a bike mechanics workshop and eventually rural fire services assistance and livestock management.
However, with no government funding and an estimated six-month budget of $55,000, Mr Tallon and organisers were calling upon the community to turn this dream into a reality.
On Sunday, the organisation had launched a My Cause fundraiser to raise a $20,000 target which hit over $1000 on its first day.
More impressively, the team had secured a generous anonymous donor who promised to match donations dollar for dollar, according to vice-president Roland Fravel.
He noted the need for a program like this in the region was more important than ever before.
“We see the young people that we work with, they are really struggling today,” Mr Fravel said.
“In Australia today, one in five young people are not at school, one in four are dealing with some kind of mental health issue and roughly 28,000 young people are sleeping rough.
“We need money for transport, to buy some gear so we can get out into the bush.
“This is all powered by the community, if it’s not dollars, we need your help in some way, shape or form.”
The program hopes to start out with 10 teenage Murwillumbah boys defined as being at-risk, before growing to
provide opportunities to both genders and broader age range.
The fundraiser has just over 25 days left to go and donations can be made here.
Alternatively, you can contact fundraising manager Richard Roberts on richard@dunetrees.com or 0409 227 844.
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